Alyssa Dunn

Alyssa Hadley Dunn’s research centers on urban teacher education and support and the sociocultural and political contexts of urban schools, with a focus on issues of race, justice, and equity. She approaches her work with the understanding that education can represent spaces for creating a more liberatory world and that quality research critically examines the way that schools operate in just or unjust ways. Previous strands of research include teacher morale and pedagogy; the connection between teachers’ experiences and neoliberal reforms; racial equity and teacher preparation; and teachers’ public resignation letters. At present, Dr. Dunn is exploring teachers’ pedagogy and social justice commitments in the wake of the 2016 Presidential election, as well as how teachers make pedagogical decisions on “days after” major events, tragedies, or instances of injustice. A committed public scholar, Dr. Dunn’s work has been featured on The Huffington Post, CNN, and National Public Radio, as well on education blogs and podcasts. In addition to publishing in journals such as the American Educational Research Journal, Teachers College Record, Journal of Teacher Education, Urban Education, and Teaching and Teacher Education, she is the author of "Teachers Without Borders? The Hidden Consequences of International Teachers in U.S. Schools" (Teachers College Press, 2013) and "Urban Teaching in America: Theory, Research, and Practice in K-12 Schools" (Sage Publishers, 2011). She is also Senior Associate Editor of the journal Multicultural Perspectives and coordinator for the Department of Teacher Education’s course, TE 250: Human Diversity, Power, and Opportunity in Social Institutions.